BY LEVI PULKKINEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 7:32 pm, Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Caught in a dark park with a half-naked 15-year-old, a Bonney Lake man tried to play dad, according to police.

Michael Anthony Smith, 53, told Normandy Park police the shirtless teen boy was his son, according to charging papers filed earlier this month in King County. When that didn’t fly – turns out Smith and the boy are different races – Smith is alleged to have claimed he was actually his stepdad.

Police reviewing Smith's and the boy’s cell phones found Smith had actually picked the boy up on Craigslist, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Val Richey said in charging papers. Richey told the court Smith sent the boy a photo of his genitals and agreed to pay him for sex.

Just after 11 p.m. on Dec. 30, an officer on patrol at Marine View Park spotted an Infiniti coupe parked in front of a closed gate and stopped to investigate.

Walking toward the car, the officer saw Smith seated behind the wheel of the running car, sipping from a Coors Light can. The shirtless teen was in the passenger seat.

Questioned at the scene, Smith and the boy initially claimed to be father and son, the officer told the court. Smith is alleged to have claimed to be the boy’s stepfather before the boy offered a very different explanation.

Speaking with police, the boy said Smith responded to an advertisement he’d posted on Craigslist. An email exchange supported the boy’s story.

Shaving 13 years off his actual age while describing himself to the boy, Smith sent a nude photo of himself to the 15-year-old and agreed to pay the boy $80 to $100 for sex, the officer said in charging papers.